Splio is very excited to announce that we integrated a new channel on our Customer platform: WeChat. Not only is the Europe–China axis very strategic for us, it’s a major requirement for all retailers looking to expand their business into the Chinese market.

Let’s have a quick chat with Tom Bienvenot, Product Manager at Splio, to find out more about this new functionality.

1. Why did we invest in developing a native WeChat integration for the Splio Customer Platform?

WeChat has become the de facto standard channel of communication for brands in China.

Splio is always looking for ways to help our customers move their businesses forward and our experience in bridging Europe and China supports that goal for customers who want to expand to China.

Brands today need a fully integrated marketing program accessible from a single platform and combining WeChat into our product allows our customers to combine WeChat communications into their overall customer journey. Having a central location of customer data that now includes WeChat information brings in even more choices for targeted communications.

2. Tell us about the new WeChat functionality and what it can do.

The WeChat integration will provide:

Reconciliation of WeChat followers information with data acquired by other sources;

Segmentation of WeChat followers using a data from this single customer view;

Creation of WeChat-specific content and targeted sends to individuals;

Delivery of an omnichannel marketing customer journey by mixing WeChat, emails, SMS, purchase and much more;

Monitor and analyze WeChat account performance KPIs and compare to other communication channels;

3. We’ve heard a lot about WeChat recently in the news with their growing user base of over 1 billion users, but outside of Asia, we don’t know much about it. Can you explain a little bit about the WeChat platform and how it’s being used in B2C marketing?

WeChat is much more than one of the other social networks we know today (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) It’s an “App for Everything”: Social network, messaging, eCommerce platform, Wallet (payments, orders, etc.), loyalty programs, ID card, WeChat at work and even a mini-program: an app within WeChat’s app! (Starbucks, Taxi, etc.)

In order provide the same level of functionality as WeChat, you’d need to combine Whatsapp + FB + Twitter + Instagram + Apple Pay + etc.! WeChat is so popular in China that you can basically live your life using only WeChat - you don’t need to carry cash or your wallet with you.

In terms of how brands are using WeChat, they are mostly using it to:

Communicate with their customers with pushed content;

Provide a seamless customer experience throughout their customer journey;

Sell and upsell products directly on the WeChat platform;

Provide customer care: a follower can send messages to a brand and expect a quick response;

4. What are the advantages of using Splio’s WeChat integration for brands?

Our WeChat integration available on our Customer Platform will provide:

A single platform to manage all of their communications;

Fully native integration – no third parties to deploy or manage;

Combined marketing efforts/scenarios – with both on and offline data;

Single customer view: consolidated customer data on one single platform (WeChat, email, SMS, purchases, etc.). Book a demo with Splio to find out more about how Splio & WeChat can help you grow your business.